Rosemarie Rizzo Parse  The human is transcending multidimensionally
with the possible
Human Becoming Theory
Background:
 Graduated at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh
 Received MSN and Ph.D. from University of
Pittsburgh
 Professor and Niehoff Chair at Loyola
University, Chicago
 1981 – Published her theory of nursing, Man-
Living-Health
 1992 – Name changed to Theory of Human
Becoming
 Editor and Founder, Nursing Science Quarterly
 She developed teaching-learning, mentoring,
leading-following, community and family
models that are used worldwide
 Published 9 books & 150 articles and editorials
pertinent to nursing
 Consults throughout the world with educational
programs in nursing
 Planned and implemented many international
conferences on nursing theory, the human
becoming school of thought, qualitative
research, and quality of life
Human Becoming Theory
 Guides the practice of nurses to focus on quality
of life as it is described and lived
 Presents an alternative to both the
conventional bio-medical approach as well as
the bio-psycho-social-spiritual approach of most
other theories and models of nursing
 Parse’s model rates quality of life from each
person’s own perspective as the goal of the
practice of nursing
Assumptions (Human)
 The human is coexistent while co-constituting
rhythmical patterns with the universe
 The human is open, freely choosing meaning in
a situation, as well as bearing responsibility for
decisions made
 The human is unitary, continuously co-
constituting patterns of relating
Assumptions (Becoming)
 Becoming is unitary with human-living-health
 Becoming is a rhythmically co-constituting the
human-universe process
 Becoming is the human’s patterns of relating
value priorities
 Becoming is an intersubjective process of
transcending with the possible
 Becoming is the unitary human’s emerging
Major Assumptions
 Meaning
- Human becoming is freely choosing personal
meaning in situations in the intersubjective
process of living value priorities
- Man’s reality is given meaning through lived
experiences
- In addition, man and environment co-create
 Rhythmicity
- States that human becoming is co-creating
rhythmical patterns of relating in mutual
process with the universe
- Man and environment co-create (imaging,
valuing, languaging) in whythmical patterns
 Transcendence
- Explains that human becoming is co-
transcending multidimensionally with emerging
possibilities
- It refers to reaching out and beyond the limits a
person sets, and that one constantly transforms
Four Postulates
1. Illimitability – the indivisible unbounded
knowing extended to infinity, the all-at-once
remembering and prospecting with the moment
2. Paradox – an intricate rhythm expressed as a
pattern preference
-- not opposites to be reconciled or
dilemmas to be overcome but, rather,
lived rhythms
 3. Freedom – contextually construed liberation Nine Concepts of HBT

-- people are free to continuously 1.

choose ways of being with their situations 2. Imaging
3. Valuing
4. Mystery – the unexplainable, that which cannot
4. Languaging
be completely known
5. Revealing-Concealing
6. Enabling-Limiting
7. Connecting-Separating
Metaparadigm 8. Powering
Person 9. Originating
10. Transforming
 An open being who is more than and different
from the sum of the parts

Environment Principles

 Everything in the person and his or her
experiences.
 Inseparable from the person, as well as
complementary to and evolving with the person
Health
Principle 1. Structuring meaning is the imaging and
valuing of languaging
Principle 2. Configuring rhythmical patterns of relating is
the revealing-concealing and enabling-limiting of
connecting-separating

 The open process of being and becoming, and Principle 3. Cotranscending with possibilities is the
involves the synthesis of values powering and originating of transforming

Nursing
Paradigm
 A human science and art that uses an abstract
body of knowledge to help people 1. Totality Paradigm – states that man is a
combination of biological, psychological,
sociological and spiritual factors
Human Becoming Theory 2. Simultaneity Paradigm – states that man is a
unitary being in continuous, mutual interaction
 The theory provides a transformative approach
with the environment
to all levels of nursing. It differs from the
traditional nursing process, particularly in that it Elements
does not seek to “fix” problems
 The black and white colors represent the
 The model gives nurses the ability to see the
opposite paradox significant to ontology of
patient’s perspective. This allows the nurse to
human becoming, while green representing
be “with” the patient, and guide him or her
hope
toward the health goals
 The joining in the center of the symbol
 The nurse-patient relationship co-creates
represents the co-created mutual human
changing health patterns
universe process at the ontological level, and
 Nurses live the art of human becoming in
the nurse-patient process
presences with the unfolding of meaning,
 The green and black swirls intertwining
synchronizing rhythms, and transcendence
represent the human-universe co-creation as an
ongoing process of becoming
Strengths

 The model differentiates nursing from other

disciplines, it provides guidance of care and
useful administration, and is useful in education
 The model also provides research
methodologies, and provides a fran guide
inquiry of other theories

Weaknesses

 The research is considered a “closed circle.”

 The results are rarely quantifiable. That is, the
results are difficult to compare to other
research studies since there is no control group
or standardized questions
 The theory does not utilize the nursing process,
and negates the idea that each patient engages
in a unique lived experience
 It is now accessible to new nurses, and is
inapplicable to acute, emergent care